Comfort Zone
by Envo
Summary: Hiatus. Itasaku Semi-cannon. That was the first thing he taught me. "There is no right or wrong. Survival is the only thing that matters, nothing else."


Title- Comfort Zone

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

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Prologue

Introduction

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_"The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong." - Carl Gustav Jung_

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Hunted. Chased. Wanted. Yes, this kind of living is difficult, but I am not alone. No, many more suffers worse. Some join our profession in hopes of fighting back raiding bandits, some for other reasons. I am no different. My life was never a pleasant one to begin with, and I know it. The place where you can return without fearing the dark corners of the room or the lifeless atmosphere hanging heavily in the air, a place that will always welcome you when you retire from the day in the hard, cold world is all but a fairytale in my life.

It all started when I was a child. If my childhood can be represent with one color, it will be bleak black; Why? because mine comes in the form of hell. I was forced to grow up much earlier than most. When others like me had just started walking, I was already up and running; when toys were the ideal item to play with in a child's hand of four, I already had a kunai clasped in my fists. My hands were tainted with the stench of death at the age of five, and the list just kept going on.

It never stops. _Ever_.

Living through numerous of fierce battles, I manage to come out alive, though not unscathed. Scars are not the only mark death left behind. No, the type of life we lead are not that easy. Some can bear little to no sign of scarrings, yet their minds are already broken. We can heal from our physical pains, but mental? Those are unseen, unspoken, undetectable unless you know where to look for the signs. No matter how careful some may be, it will always holds true as they say: one look in the eye tells tales of the past. The blank stare, the numbness, all of us had our turns. It all starts out slow, but when it spread, it will be like ink staining across a pure white cloth. It will not be long before those eyes that once sports endless hopes and emotions dulls under the weight of the kill, all it takes is one look at reality. There is no escape, and there is no cure.

Then there are those blood-tainted memories. Scenes of red spurting from carcasses lying motionless on stained grass bed that repeats itself behind shut eyelids; the ear-piercing scream that haunts the sleepless nights. Learning to rest without sleeping becomes a habit; steeling the heart that once beats strongly with compassion and empathy become necessary. A corrupted, fallen, cold-blood killer is how they view us, but it is all merely the stages of life. _Our kind of life._

Pain no longer exists for us on the physical level and the term 'torture' is given a brand new meaning. It is not surprising at all to find the daily discomfort only increase in numbers as the years pass by; with headaches and migraines pounding at the temples and old scars aching in the freezing December gust, it is no wonder not many of us makes it through the first five years.

But those who has been around long enough know that it matters not what you have been through, but the outcome; it's the choice you make, the decision you take that either declares you a fighter or a dead meat. Only the survivor will be praised; only those who passes the test will be acknowledged. There is no holding back when it comes down to the final match: who can walk away in the end and live to tell the tale. So many I've met had fallen, and those who claimed to survive the trial was now six feet under.

This _is_ reality.

Survival the fittest they say, that is the kind of life I live in. Kill or be killed, that is the way I survive thus far. In the games of hunter and prey, which one will you be? Are you willing to sacrifice, to step out of your comfort zone to survive? I would.

My name is Haruno Sakura, and this is my life.

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A/N: Whew, finally got away from the party that involves too much birthday cakes and noises. Anyways, here's the introduction part of_ Comfort Zone._ It is a story idea I have in my head ever since June of this year, and I've been playing with this idea ever since. It is short, I know. But it's only the prologue, and hopefully the rest of the chapters will be longer.

This will be my first try at cannon (somewhat), and I am very curious how it will come out.

I'm trying my hand at multi-tasking by working on two stories at the same time (I know it sounds stupid, but there is a possibility that I can be so horrible at it that it is unbelievable. We'll never know unless we try, right?). In the mean time I'm putting together the second chapter for _Clouded, _so the next chapter for either one of these stories (_Comfort Zone_ and _Clouded_) might not be out until at least a few weeks later. But I promise, once this huge chunk of mess is cleared out in my life the updates will be coming out more smoothly (but of course, reviewing does this little yet wondrous thing that helps speed up the process of writing, so that option should also be considered as well).

Again, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it. Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome and greatly appreciated!

Envo 12/04


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